Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin to Headline Event for Anti-Union Group Fighting $15 Wage

Weeks after voting to kill a $15 minimum wage, senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin will discuss “finding bipartisan solutions” at the conference of a major lobbying group fighting minimum wage and labor legislation. They know which side they’re on.

Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin will join former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel at a National Restaurant Association conference next week. (Photos: Tom Williams / Leigh Vogel via Getty Images)


Weeks after voting to kill a $15 minimum wage, senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin will headline the national conference of the restaurant lobbying group that led the battle to block the wage increase and that is fighting a separate Democratic measure to make it easier for workers to form unions. Both lawmakers have also recently raked in campaign cash from corporate interests that have been fighting a minimum wage increase.

Sinema and Manchin will join disgraced former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel next week in speeches at a conference held by the National Restaurant Association (NRA), according to the conference agenda. The NRA has been aggressively lobbying against Democrats’ proposed minimum wage hike and labor legislation.

Manchin and Sinema, who represent West Virginia and Arizona, respectively, will be featured on panels entitled “Seeking Unity: Conversations on Finding Bipartisan Solutions.” The event is the NRA’s annual “public affairs conference,” which, in Washington-speak, means it is for lobbyists and focused on shaping legislation.

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